We officially have had our first overnight visitors to Melbourne-- Kevin Rice and the St. Jacques! (Earlier in the year my folks visited, but their cruise ship docked only for the day.) As luck would have it, instead of one "group" coming out, we had two "groups," which completely overlapped. Our three-bedroom house and living room were full of sofa beds and people and giggles. It was great!
Kevin Rice arrived first and, to help him stay awake and adjust to the Australia time, we took him on a three-mile stroll to see the Yarra River, the bush, and the legendary kangaroos. (He's actually spent a bit of time in Australia, but not Southeastern Australia. It was fun to not only hear all about his prior adventures,
but to introduce him to a different region.)
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| Kevin Rice in Melbourne! |
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| THE viewing spot |
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| Tadd reliving his Tawny Frogmouth impression |
It didn't take Kevin long to unleash "The Monster....."
...and the storyteller......
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| Reading bedtime stories |
A couple days later, the St. Jacques, on the exact same flight schedule, arrived......
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| Ari and Tadd reuniting over Star Wars and Legos: Is there anything better? |
For the first week, J and Kevin were busy with their International Botanical Conference in Melbourne-- presenting work, listening to talks, and meeting up with old/new friends. We'd all get together in the evenings, but during the day, the St. Jacques and Sexsters (minus J) headed out to explore the city.
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| Brian, Michelle, & Alex getting on the Metro rail toward downtown |
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| "Riding on the Metro" |
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| Downtown walking formation :) |
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| Royal Exhibition Building |
The Melbourne Museum: A MUST for any visitor!
Besides a great display of dinosaur bones....
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| Baby Triceratops |
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| Brachiosaurus |
and fossilized dinosaur poop,
......they have a lungfish!!!!!!!
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| It really is in there. |
Never have I truly realized how enormous quetzalcoatlus were! I am very grateful that we don't have to run from these guys.....
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| Quetzalcoatlus and Alex: Just compare heads!!!! |
And what museum has the digestive system with a fart button at the end of the display? (A real hit with the kids. I don't think I've seen Tadd laugh harder. He fell on the ground at least two times, holding onto his belly in hysterics.)
Healesville Sanctuary: The second MUST see for any visitor. The sanctuary is a zoo which specializes in native Australian animals-- wombats, bilbys, wallabies, koalas, goannas..... They are involved in breeding programs for endangered/threatened animals. They have a "Spirits of the Sky" educational bird show, where a wedge-tailed eagle, other birds of prey, and all kinds of parrot fly over and around you.
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| Falcon |
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| The St. Jacques and Elle |
One of the coolest birds, a lyrebird, is well-known for being able to copy
any sound-- another bird, a typewriter, a camera shutter click...... We actually got to hear one mimic the kookaburra bird.
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| Lyrebird |
We recorded this lyrebird's sound and played it back to him. He came out from hiding and approached us, trying to find the source of the sound and looking very confused.
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| Ari, Lyrebird, & Elle |
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| The Endangered Gummy Worm |
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| Pelican |
And, of course, none of us could pass up the kangaroo jumping area. :)
Kevin and J bouncing the kids. (They took a day break from their conference.)
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| Goal: How high can we bounce them? |
At the Sanctuary, we met some tough guys....
..........with a tough message....
...regarding ridiculously cute things.
(Message: If you buy recycled toilet paper made from paper, trees won't need to be cut down for your bum.....and habitat won't be destroyed.)
A Sampling of Other Fun Things We Did.......
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| Eating peanut butter & jelly on the metro....* |
Since eating out is really expensive, most families (including us) bring picnic lunches everywhere they go.
(*Side note: Australians think peanut butter and jelly is a gross combo. At the supermarkets, the peanut butter is sold next to the jam and jelly, so it seems like people may put the two together. But nope. They don't eat it. They'd rather get their peanut butter from one section and their butter from another section and put these together. Then they save the jam for scones and the jelly for meat. Or skip it all and go straight for the vegemite.)
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| Federation Square |
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| Alex on the Free Tourist City Bus |
Victoria Market: "It's like Denio's Farmers Market (in Roseville)," says Michelle.
The National Gallery of Victoria: Brian took the kiddos to the kid's art section, while Michelle took me to the temporary exhibition on Viennese artists. In particular, we saw some works by Klimt. Amazing! To see his sketches and paintings in person was breathtaking....and to see them with my sister, who has studied art and pointed out aspects I wouldn't have been aware of, was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I'll never forget our special outing.
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| The kids cracking up over the naked statues. |
Downtown Melbourne and the Yarra River:
Wombat Bend Park: Michelle and Brian took a day to go the the Old Melbourne Gaol (Old English for "jail"), where outlaws like Ned Kelly were hanged. (It turns out, like most notorious and oddly revered criminals, that he was a real jerk.) The history and gallows were a hit, especially the death masks (wax/plaster cast made of someone's face following death). I took the kids to a couple local parks to simply have a big play day.
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| Ari on the zip-line |
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| Tadd giving me the Focker's "I'm watching you" sign |
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| Too much spinning.... |
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| I love those smiles! |
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| Elle found a wombat |
Dandenong National Park: Conference over, we grabbed Kevin and J and headed out to feed parrots.... The only place in Melbourne that allows feeding of wild, native birds.
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Ari and Alex with Sulfur Crested Cockatoos
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| Tadd handing Ari his Rosella |
We were trying to see how many birds you could get on your body. Brian won with four.
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| Brian's inner-pirate coming out |
An Evening With Flying Foxes: Along the Yarra River, a large colony of fruit bats, or flying foxes, reside. We stayed until nightfall to watch them take flight.
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| The flying foxes (= the little lumps in the trees) |
Week one, we spent all over Melbourne. Week two....we head out to the Great Ocean Road!!!!
